FRANZ FANON AND SOUTH ASIA

Paper No. 6770                   Dated 26- Mar-2021

By Kazi Anwarul Masud:

 Frantz Fanon a Marxist who had joined the Algerian independence war

wrote about the prejudice of, what he called, the "colonial alienation

of the person" as a mental health issue.        In The Wretched of the

Earth (French: Les Damnés de la Terre), published in 1961, Fanon

analyzed how French colonization and the carnage of the Algerian War

had mentally affected Algerians' self-identity and mental health.

Fanon argued that the colonial psyche was fractured by the lack of

mental and material homogeneity as a result of the colonial power's

Western culture being pressured onto the colonized population despite

the existing material differences between them.                During

the period of European colonial rule in India, Europeans in India

typically regarded many aspects of Indian culture with disdain and

supported the colonial rule as a beneficial "civilizing mission

beneficial to the people of India, rather than a process of political

and economic dominance by a small minority of foreigners.  Albeit

under colonial rule, many practices were outlawed, such as the

practice of forcing widows to immolate themselves (known as sati).

Colonel Sir William Sleeman when Lord William Bentinck was

Governor-General of India was instrumental in suppressing the Thugs

who idolized Maa Kali and used to rob people of their belongings. The

practice and was discouraged by Evangelical missionaries claimed by

some scholars to have played a significant role in the development of

the modern definition of Hinduism. These claims based their

assumptions on the lack of a unified Hindu identity prior to the

period of colonial rule.      Hindu nationalism developed in the 19th

century as an internalization of European ideological prominence; with

local Indian elites aiming to make themselves and Indian society

modern by "emulating the West". This led to the emergence of what some

have termed 'neo-Hinduism': consisting of reformist rhetoric

transforming Hindu tradition from above, disguised as a revivalist

call to return to the traditional practices of the faith. Reflecting

the same arguments made by Christian missionaries, who argued that the

more superstitious elements of Hindu practice were responsible for

corrupting the potential rational philosophy of the faith. Some

critics have claimed that Rudyard Kipling's portrayals of Indian

characters supported the view that colonized people were incapable of

living without the help of Europeans as racist. In his famous poem

"The White Man's Burden", Kipling argued for this point by

romanticizing the "civilizing mission" in non-Western countries.

Similar sentiments appeared in Kipling's other works, such as his

characterization of the Second Boer War as a "white man's war" along

with his presentation of 'whiteness' as a morally and culturally

superior trait of the West. His portrayal of Indians in his Jungle

Book stories has also been criticized as example of the chauvinistic

infantilization of colonized peoples in popular culture. Some

historians claim that Kipling's works have contributed towards the

development of a colonial mentality in the ways that the colonized

people in these fictional narratives are made submissive to and

dependent on their white rulers.  Individuals of Indian descent who

adopt European culture have sometimes been labeled as "Macaulay's

Children". The term usually used in a derogatory fashion derived from

19th-century historian, politician, and colonial administrator Thomas

Macaulay, who instituted the system of Macaulayism, replacing Indian

languages and dialects with English as the official medium of

instruction in Indian educational institutions. The consequences of

this educational policy can still be felt in present-day India, where

the use of English, as opposed to Hindi, still carries with it a level

of superiority. Nationalist politicians have campaigned and pushed

forward policy changes to promote the official usage of Hindi in

education and media over English, which was protested against in the

south of India as the imposition of Hindi upon non-Hindi speakers.

Contrarily      Joseph Conrad in Heart of Darkness narrates through

Marlow’s story that Darkness takes place in the Belgian Congo, the

most notorious European colony in Africa because of the Belgian

colonizers' immense greed and brutal treatment of the native people.

In its depiction of the monstrous wastefulness and casual cruelty of

the colonial agents toward the African native's Heart of Darkness

reveals the utter hypocrisy of the entire colonial rule.  In Europe,

colonization of Africa was justified on the grounds that not only

would it bring wealth to Europe, it would also civilize and educate

the "savage” natives. Heart of Darkness shows that in practice the

European colonizers used the high ideals of colonization as a cover to

allow them to viciously rip whatever wealth they could from “savages”

who remained to be “civilized”.       Unlike most novels that focus on

the evils of colonialism, Heart of Darkness pays more attention to the

damage that colonization does to the souls of white colonizers than it

does to the physical death and devastation unleashed on the black

natives. Though this focus on the white colonizers makes the book

somewhat unbalanced, it does allow Heart of Darkness to extend its

criticism of colonialism all the way back to its corrupt source, the

"civilization" of Europe.  Allied is the term

“American imperialism”  that refers to the economic, military, and

cultural influence of the United States internationally     American

imperialism is partly based on American exceptionalism, the idea that

the United States is different from other countries because of its

specific world mission to spread liberty and democracy.      One of

the most notable instances of American imperialism was the annexation

of Hawaii in 1898, which allowed the United States to gain possession

and control of all ports, buildings, harbors, military equipment, and

public property that had belonged to the Government of the Hawaiian

Islands.      Some groups, such as the American Anti-Imperialist

League, opposed imperialism on the grounds that it conflicted with the

American ideal of Republicans and the “consent of the governed.” Then

came the use of the term:           Social Darwinism, an ideology that

seeks to apply biological concepts of Darwinism or evolutionary theory

to sociology and politics, often under the assumption that conflict

between social groups leads to social progress, as superior groups

surpass inferior ones. Also popular was the term      “American

Exceptionalism”-a  belief, central to American political culture since

the Revolution, that Americans have a unique mission among nations to

spread freedom and democracy. Close by was the term         “ American

Imperialism” which referred to the economic, military, and cultural

influence of the United States on other countries.      Expansion and

Power and to the economic, military, and cultural influence of the

United States on other countries.  The advent of industrialization

caused American businessmen to seek new international markets in which

to sell their goods. In addition, the increasing influence of social

Darwinism led to the belief that the United States was inherently

responsible for bringing concepts such as industry, democracy, and

Christianity to less developed “savage” societies. The combination of

these attitudes and other factors led the United States toward

imperialism    American imperialism is partly rooted in American

exceptionalism, the idea that the United States is different from

other countries due to its specific world mission to spread liberty

and democracy. This theory often is traced back to the words of 1800s

French observer Alexis de Tocqueville, who concluded that the United

States was a unique nation, “proceeding along a path to which no limit

can be perceived.”      Pinpointing the actual beginning of American

imperialism is difficult. Some historians suggest that it began with

the writing of the Constitution; some would like to trace the imperial

behavior of the United States to the Louisiana Purchase. Critics

describe this event as an, “aggressive encroachment of one people upon

the territory of another, resulting in the subjugation of that people

to alien rule.” They refer to the U.S. policies toward Native

Americans, as “designed to remold them into a people more

appropriately conformed to imperial desires.”

Whatever its origins, American imperialism experienced its pinnacle

from the late 1800s through the years following World War II. During

this “Age of Imperialism,” the United States exerted political,

social, and economic control over countries such as the Philippines,

Cuba, Germany, Austria, Korea, and Japan. One of the most notable

examples of American imperialism in this age was the annexation of

Hawaii in 1898, which allowed the United States to gain possession and

control of all ports, buildings, harbors, military equipment, and

public property that had formally belonged to the Government of the

Hawaiian Islands. This action resulted in Hawaii’s becoming America’s

50th state in 1959.          The American Anti-Imperialist League

opposed the annexation on the ground that imperialism violated the

credo of republicanism, especially the need for “consent of the

governed.” They did not oppose expansion on commercial,

constitutional, religious, or humanitarian grounds; rather, they

believed that the annexation and administration of third-world

tropical areas would mean the abandonment of American ideals of

self-government and isolation—ideals expressed in the U.S. Declaration

of Independence, George Washington‘s Farewell Address, and Abraham

Lincoln‘s Gettysburg Address.  The Spanish-American War was the result

of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence with

Spain.      The war served to further repair relations between the

American North and South. The war gave both sides a common enemy for

the first time since the end of the Civil War in 1865, and many

friendships were formed between soldiers of Northern and Southern

states during their tours of duty.      The war marked American entry

into world affairs. Since then, the United States has had a

significant hand in various conflicts around the world. An example was

the        Treaty of Paris, negotiated on terms favorable to the

United States. The Spanish-American War marked American entry into

world affairs. Before the Spanish-American War, the United States was

characterized by isolationism, an approach to foreign policy that

asserts that a nation’s interests are best served by keeping the

affairs of other countries at a distance. Since the Spanish-American

War, the United States has had a significant hand in various conflicts

around the world.  The war redefined national identity, served as a

solution of sorts to the social divisions plaguing the American mind,

and provided a model for all future news reporting. Joseph Conrad in

his book            Heart of Darkness expresses his skepticism about

imperialism. Set in Central       Africa Conrad and presents “a

ruthlessly ironic view of European colonialism and the pretension of

civilization” The narrative fully developed in Heart of Darkness, the

plot of which is set in       Africa offers an exceptionally ironic

view of European imperialism and trading practices.        According

to some a partial explanation of Conrad’s skepticism about imperialism

is to be found in his Polish upbringing. After experiencing the

partition of his home country between Russia, Prussia and Austria,

Conrad had a good reason to question the right of great powers to

submit smaller countries to their will. Another answer lies in the

fact that Conrad had himself traveled in Africa where he experienced

the “rapacity and brutality of Europeans” exploiting the Continent. It

is no surprise that criticism of the European civilization appears in

Heart of       Darkness where again the impact of individuals isolated

from their social system shows the inability of European civilization

to protect its individuals from corruption.      In much of his, work

Conrad expresses his skepticism about imperialism. For example, “An

Outpost of Progress” is set in Central       Africa and presents “a

ruthlessly ironic view of European colonialism and the pretension of

civilization” After experiencing the partition of his home country

between Russia, Prussia, and Austria, Conrad had a good reason to

question the right of great powers to submit smaller countries to

their will. Another answer lies in the fact that Conrad had himself

traveled in Africa where he experienced the “rapacity and brutality of

Europeans” exploiting the Continent.       Criticism of the European

civilization appears in “An Outpost of Progress”     when the

characters, isolated from the conventions and institutions of their

‘civilized’       world, reveal the hollowness that lies at its core.

This theme reappears in Heart of       Darkness where again the impact

of individuals isolated from their social system shows the inability

of European civilization to protect its individuals from corruption.

  The relevance of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness to the twentieth and

twenty-first centuries is apparent in the allusions to the story in

media and in culture in general.    Can one then argue that Conrad was

not far from his central premise that the British who had come to

India for trading managed to stay on because the Mughals failed to

understand the British concept of grasping political power from a

fragmented majority Hindu population? The final nail in the coffin was

 put by Emperor Aurangajeb by his foolish taxation policy imposed on

the majority yet fragmented Hindu populace.